FM: the Joint Belt and Road Implementation Plan is a comprehensive tool for strengthening Moroccan-Chinese cooperation

Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Abroad, stated Wednesday that the “Joint Belt and Road Implementation Plan” between the Kingdom of Morocco and the People’s Republic of China is a comprehensive tool for enhancing the bilateral partnership.

This Plan establishes a well-thought-out framework with clear principles and sound mechanisms, as well as a comprehensive tool for strategic management and concrete deployment of a full-scope partnership, ranging from political dialogue to across-the-board sectorial cooperation, according to Bourita, who spoke via video conference at the signing ceremony of the Plan agreement.

Infrastructure, trade, investment, industry, agriculture, fisheries, energy, finance, education, science, technology, green development, and health are among the areas of cooperation that have been called for to move to a higher level of structured engagement, according to the Minister, who noted that this ceremony is an opportunity to echo China’s place in the kingdom’s diplomatic priorities.

In this regard, he stated that Morocco and China, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and H.E. Mr. Xi JINPING, President of the People’s Republic of China, have entered a new era in their bilateral relations, stating that the friendship between the two countries is rooted in a long and rich history of People-to-People exchanges, as well as supported by long-standing diplomatic relations, dating back to 1958 and increasingly strengthening ever since.

The two countries have built trust over the years by relying on respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and active solidarity, he said, adding that the historic Royal Visit to Beijing in May 2016 was a watershed moment that resulted in the signing of the Joint Statement on Establishing the Strategic Partnership by HM the King and the Chinese President.

This pact has given the Morocco-China friendship an unprecedented push and achieved practical achievements, he stated.

The Minister cited a 50 percent increase in trade over the last five years (from $4 billion in 2016 to $6 billion in 2021) and a significant increase in Chinese investment, with more than 80 projects under way across the Kingdom, including the mega-project of the City Mohammed VI Tangier Tech, which was launched in April 2019 in Beijing on the sidelines of the “Belt and Road” forum.

Bourita also noted a 20-fold rise in tourism since the Royal decree to free Chinese citizens from visa requirements (June 2016): 200,000 Chinese visitors in 2018 compared to only 10,000 in 2015.

He also mentioned that in November 2017, Morocco signed the “Belt and Road” Memorandum of Understanding, making it the first country in the Maghreb – and the world – to do so.

On a different note, the Minister emphasized that, far from being hampered by the pandemic, the strategic partnership established between HM the King and the Chinese President in 2016 has proven resilient, noting that the unprecedented challenges posed by Covid-19 have actually given it a new impetus, demonstrating that solidarity and consistency are structural and enduring components of the two countries’ relationship.

Morocco significantly values the Chinese authorities’ responsiveness and eagerness to meet Morocco’s needs in terms of medical equipment and protection, he said.

As part of the far-sighted Royal management of the epidemic, Morocco reciprocated by promising to be one of China’s pioneering partners in clinical testing of the anti-Covid vaccine, and by proactively deciding to rely heavily on the vaccine created in China.

Building on its steady progress, the monarchy has established an industrial unit in Morocco to fill and finish the anti-covid-19 vaccine, which benefits from a pioneering relationship with Sinopharm, a Chinese state-owned corporation, according to Bourita.

“This unit will contribute to the Kingdom’s self-sufficiency and health sovereignty, while consolidating that of the African continent and here lies another aspect of the Partnership between Morocco and China,” the minister explained.

Furthermore, Bourita stated that the Moroccan-Chinese collaboration benefits from the continent’s opening up, noting that the deal struck clearly provides for triangular cooperation for the continent’s benefit.

He highlighted that Morocco and China will work together to initiate and implement tripartite cooperation initiatives aimed at promoting Africa’s sustainable development.

He promised that the kingdom could play a vital role in expanding the benefits of collaboration to African brotherly nations, to which the kingdom remains committed, noting his Majesty King Mohammed VI made this commitment explicit at the 2015 Forum on China-Africa Summit.

The minister also stated that the Belt and Road Initiative gives up new chances for commerce and investment, and that it is in line with the Kingdom’s New Development Model.

Morocco’s dynamic input will also benefit the project, he said, because of its political stability, strategic location, economic openness, sectoral potential, and connectivity.

This project, according to Bourita, will enable Morocco and China realize their shared vision for Africa’s development, resulting in a triple win South-South partnership.

He stated that Morocco, as a crucial African, Arab, and Mediterranean country in the “Belt and Road” implementation, is a partner as eager as China to make the “Belt and Road Initiative” a success tale of south-south cooperation.